The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

After leaving the casino, Gu Ruinian first had to go home to tell Gu Youtian and the others that he wouldn't be able to help out at the shop for the next few days. Otherwise, if he disappeared, Old Master Gu would search high and low for him.

Jufulai was incredibly popular, while Wuji was extremely quiet.

The Wu family's reputation in Pingchuan was already infamous, and anyone who went shopping would avoid Wu Ji like the plague.

Occasionally, there would be a few orders, mostly from people from Heilongtan Town who came to Pingchuan County to shop, and they couldn't refuse Wuli's request.

With business so bad and two families to support, Wu Ren looked very unhappy.

Gu Youtian was also in a bad mood.

The poor business is not the Gu family's fault at all; the Gu family has no bad reputation.

He had already suggested to Wu Ren that the solution was for the Wu family to stay away for a few days, change the name of Wu Ji, and wait until the Wu family's reputation had faded in Pingchuan before they came back.

Besides, even if the shop is renamed, the Wu family will still take the lion's share. The Wu family doesn't need to sit here and worry about it, and they can still get half of the profits. Isn't that great?

Unfortunately, Wu Ren, with the mind of a petty person, always feared that Gu Youtian would turn the shop into the Gu family's property.

When Gu Youtian was furious, he heard Gu Ruinian tell him that he had made a wealthy new friend in Pingchuan and had been visiting his friend's house for the past few days. Gu Youtian was so angry that he scolded Gu Ruinian.

“You’re no good at studying, and you’re no good at doing business. You should go back to Qinghewan tomorrow,” Gu Youtian said.

Gu Ruinian suppressed his anger and went inside to tidy his clothes. He told Jia, who had come with him, that he had made a wealthy friend and that she could rest assured.

Mrs. Jia was worried.

"Mother, wait for my good news. In a few days, I will be able to give you a good life," Gu Ruinian said to Jia.

What is Wu Ji? What is the Wu family? Once he takes over Lian Heng and becomes the Lian family's son-in-law, he will buy Wu Ji and make all the Wu family members get out of here.

He also wants to become the head of the second branch of the Gu family, and when that happens, he will dare to punish Gu Youtian if he dares to talk nonsense.

Gu Ruinian walked out of Wu Ji and squinted at Jufulai.

Jufulai's business is even more bustling than before.

"Young Master Gu, aren't you going to Jufulai to join the fun?" The teahouse waiter saw Gu Ruinian and invited him to Jufulai to join the fun.

Normally, Gu Ruinian was not keen on talking to the working class, but when it came to Jufulai, he was willing to listen. So he asked, "What tricks is Jufulai up to now?"

The teahouse waiter said, "Miss Lian has opened a pearl stall at Jufulai. The stall is filled with all kinds of pearls, and goodness, they even have black pearls. I've never seen black pearls in my life before. I have to go and see them."

After the teahouse waiter finished speaking, he rushed towards Jufulai.

Gu Ruinian's mind raced. No wonder Lian Hengruo had been going to Jufulai so often these days; it turned out he was doing business with Jufulai.

Let Jufulai be smug for a few days first.

"Grandma, do you know who Gu Ruinian and Xu Zaohua met?" Nie Xiaofeng rushed up to Tong Huaqiong like a gust of wind. Seeing Tong Huaqiong's "just spit it out" look, he didn't dare to keep her in suspense any longer and said, "They met Second Young Master Lian, at the casino."

Nie Xiaofeng was assigned by Tong Huaqiong to keep an eye on Gu Ruinian and Xu Zaohua. He thought this task would be difficult, but it turned out to be very easy. In less than two days, they had figured out the whereabouts of the two.

Since Lian Hengruo told Tong Huaqiong about the Lian family's dirty deeds, Tong Huaqiong immediately knew that Gu Ruinian and Xu Zaohua were up to no good when they saw that the second young master of the Lian family was up to no good.

However, Gu Ruinian understood why Xu Zaohua was jumping up and down like that. Her impression of Xu Zaohua was that she wouldn't do anything without a reason.

She didn't believe that this wasn't beneficial to Xu Zaohua.

"Why is Xu Zaohua so proactive about this? Have you inquired about it?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Nie Xiaofeng admired Tong Huaqiong even more. No wonder everyone said that Grandma was smart; she grasped the key to the problem immediately.

Before he could even speak, his grandmother asked.

“I’ve heard that the second young master of the Zheng family and the second young lady of the Lian family are discussing marriage,” Nie Xiaofeng said.

Tong Huaqiong understood immediately after thinking about it.

Xu Zaohua didn't want Lian Hengruo to marry her brother-in-law, and the second young master Lian didn't want Lian Hengruo to have a powerful husband's family, so the two joined forces.

As for Gu Ruinian, he's definitely a tool in their joint scheme. What methods will they use to deal with Lian Hengruo? They'll ruin her reputation.

Gu Ruinian had already tried it with a handkerchief.

Women in this era were not as severely restricted as those in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but they were still not very friendly. Holding hands in public with a handkerchief was not enough to ruin a woman's reputation or force her to marry a lecherous man, but what if they were caught in bed together?

She has no choice but to marry him.

Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong felt nauseous.

Gu Ruinian, you've been exposed to modern civilization, so how could you be so despicable in ancient times?

Tong Huaqiong then asked Nie Xiaofeng, "Who is the second young master of the Zheng family?"

Nie Xiaofeng said, "This spring, I passed the imperial examination at the same time as my uncle and went to Wanliu Academy around the same time. Although I am a scholar, my character is very bad."

Tong Huaqiong slapped her thigh. She even asked Nie Xiaofeng about the character of the second young master of the Zheng family. Tong Dajiao remembered him.

Man'er was seduced by him and then persecuted by the Zheng family.

In her previous life, Man'er killed the second young master of the Zheng family and burned the Zheng family to ashes.

In this life, Man'er didn't go to the Zheng family, so it's unknown how long the second young master Zheng can keep his way up.

Such a person is not worthy of Lian Hengruo.

I just don't know what Lian Heng thinks about this marriage.

After thinking for a moment, Tong Huaqiong went to the pearl stall to find Lian Hengruo.

Since the store had only been open for two days, Lian Hengruo personally greeted customers at the stall every day. When Tong Huaqiong arrived, Lian Hengruo was introducing the Black Pearl to a grown man.

Why do these grown men look so familiar?

Tong Huaqiong thought for a long time, but the other person took the initiative to greet her, affectionately calling her Aunt Tong.

"Oh my, isn't this Lord Yao?" Tong Huaqiong clapped her hands to apologize, she really didn't recognize him.

It's not her fault. I don't know if it's because of the good feng shui of Ningcheng, but Lord Yao looks noticeably younger than last year.

I don't know what Lord Yao is doing in Pingchuan, but considering he is the prefect of the entire Ningcheng, it's normal for him to come to inspect various counties.

Lian Hengruo was stunned. Her pearl shop had entertained a big customer. Besides Prefect Yao, who else could it be but Lord Yao?

This prefect is really something; he doesn't even wear his official robes when he comes in.

I wonder if I was too eager in my sales pitch just now.

Prefect Yao said to Tong Huaqiong, "I came to Pingchuan to check on the growth of the corn. I passed by this street and saw so many people flocking into Jufulai, so I came in out of curiosity."

Upon entering, they discovered black pearls at the pearl stall. It was the first time Prefect Yao had ever seen black pearls, so he couldn't help but be curious and walked in to pick one up and examine it. Lian Hengruo seized the opportunity to step forward and introduce and promote the pearls.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Lord Yao, I own Jufulai."

Prefect Yao glanced around at Jufulai and realized he had never seen a department store like this before.

Aunt Tong was indeed an innovative person. Thinking of this, Prefect Yao said, "I went to Qinghewan and found dozens of acres of cotton fields on the west side of the village. The villagers said it was Aunt Tong's land."

Prefect Yao looked on with a curious expression.

No one in the entire Ningcheng had ever grown cotton on such a large scale before. He wouldn't be curious if others grew it, but he was curious because Tong Huaqiong grew it.

He felt that Tong Huaqiong wouldn't plant so much cotton for no reason.

Tong Huaqiong knew that Prefect Yao meant no harm; it was just curiosity and concern from a local official.

But she can't say she wants to develop the cotton industry yet, since she hasn't figured out how to make a textile machine.

Tong Huaqiong said, "That land is only suitable for growing cotton." (End of Chapter)